GAP Flagbearer Bassamba Drammeh Withdraws From Presidential Race, Endorses UDP’s Ousainou Darboe

By Seedy Jobe

Gambia Action Party (GAP) flagbearer Bassamba Drammeh has ended his bid for the presidency and endorsed the United Democratic Party (UDP) and its leader, Ousainou Darboe, ahead of the 5 December presidential election.

Drammeh announced the decision at a press conference on Tuesday evening. He said he had made it “with a clear heart and love for the country,” guided by a message of unity. He thanked the media and everyone who had supported him throughout his political journey, saying they deserved to know his reasons.

“You trusted me, and you deserve to hear why I made this choice,” he said. “We share the same dream for our country, and I believe that united we can do more for The Gambia. Darboe understands what it takes to build the roads, bridges, and power lines the country needs.”

Drammeh said he would bring his own experience to the alliance, particularly in giving foreign investors the confidence to do business in The Gambia and create lasting jobs.

He said the country needs good roads to carry farmers’ produce to market and reliable electricity to keep businesses open, and that graduates must be able to find work at home. Many young people were leaving the country because they saw no way to earn a living, he said, and that must change.

He called for investment in education from the early years, and for young people to be given the chance to learn a trade, master technology, and put science to work.

On tourism, he said he wanted more young Gambians to own hotels, run tours, and open restaurants, so that more of the money earned on the Smiling Coast stays in Gambian hands.

“The Gambia is rich,” Drammeh said, adding that Gambians together can make a difference in Africa. He said agriculture alone could create thousands of jobs with investment in how the country grows, processes, and sells its own rice, groundnuts, and vegetables. Farming must be made profitable enough to attract young people, he said, so that a farmer in the Central River Region can raise a family from what the land earns.

He also appealed to Gambians abroad to return home. They had never forgotten home and had stood by their families, he said, and the country must now stand by them by providing security, reliable water and electricity, and trustworthy rules. He urged them to bring their skills and ideas to help build a new Gambia for generations to come.

Drammeh called for an end to division, saying that regardless of tribe, Gambians are one people and there is only one Gambia.

He also said the country must stand firm against corruption. “This country is ours. Let us take care of it together,” he said. “We must stand strong to fight this ongoing corruption. Enough is enough. The Gambia deserves better than what we have now.”

He urged Gambians to vote for Darboe and support the UDP on 5 December.